Key rack



H. HOFFMAN Nov. 29, 1960 KEY RACK Filed March 20, 1958 Wm MM ffm UnitedStates Patent O KEY RACK Harold Hoffman, 6247 N. Western Ave., Chicago,Ill. Filed Mar. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 722,740

Claims. (Cl. 2li-59) This invention relates' to devices for holding keysor key blanks, and has more particular reference to key racks of thetype commonly used to hold a large assortment of key blanks at stationswhere the blanks are cut or notched to order.

in the past, most key racks of this nature comprised a stiff panel,usually of sheet metal, having key holding members formed of Wiremounted in rows thereon. Each such member wasV provided with a prongextending forwardly from one face of the panel to support severalidentical key blanks.

One of the problems presented by this type of key rack was thediiliculty of providing for rm anchoring of the` key supporting membersagainst all motion with respect to the rack without resorting to tediousand costly manufacturing and assembly operations including the rivetingof each key holding member to the rack panel.

In general, it is the purpose of this invention to provide an improvedkey rack construction by which the aforesaid objections are overcome. Inthis respect it is a purpose of this invention to provide an improvedkey rack featuring firm anchoring of the key holding members' againstall motion with respect to the rack without the need for riveting themin place, and wherein an easily assembled retaining means common to allof the key holding members is employed to secure them in place on thepanel.

Another purpose of this invention is to provide a keyY rack of thecharacter described having improved key holding members per se, soformed that each member comprises a pair of spaced key supporting prongsand a bridge piece connecting the prongs and wit-h which the commonretaining means for the members is engageable to firmly clamp themembers against all motion relative to the rack.

Still another object of this invention resides inthe provision of a keyrack of the character described which is comprised o f juxtaposed frontand rear panels, and wherein the prongs of the key supporting membersproject forwardlyy through holes in the front panel while the bridgepieces which connect adjacent prongs are clampingly confined between thepanels with the major portion of each bridge piece receding from andoffset with respect to the plane of the prongs.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly deiined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates several complete examples of thephysical embodiments of the invention constructed according to the bestmodes so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and inwhich:

Figurefl is a. perspective view of a key rack embodying Vzjice theprinciples of this invention, partsv thereof being broken away and shownin section;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken through the rack of Figure 1along the plane of the line 2,-2;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of key holding memberper se; and

Figure 4 is a perspective View of still another form of key holdingmember per se.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing wherein likereference characters have been applied to like parts throughout theviews, the key rack of this invention comprises an upright,substantially flat rectangular base 5. The base is comprisedofsubstantially'ilat front and rear sheet metal panels 6 and 7,respectively, of rectangular shape and of substantially the same size.

The front and rear panels are connected together by means which holdsthem inatwise juxtaposition, with their corresponding side and endmargins substantially coincident. While thisV maybe effected' inmanyways, it is a feature of this invention that this connectiony isestablished by means which includes elongated flanges yS on each of theside margins of the front panel, bent around to the rear thereof andengaged Iover the Vmarginal side edge portions 9 of the rear panel 7.The side edge portions 9- of the rear panel are offset a slight distanceforwardly of the body portion of the panel and ilatwise engage the backof the front panel to establish aA slight space between the bodyportions ofthe juxtaposed panels. The marginal edge portions 9 of therear panelV are slidingly received in the channel-like guides providedby the flanged4 side edges:v of the front panel andconstrained therebyto endwise sliding motion to and from1itsY assembled position on therack at which it cooperates with the front panel to provide the base 5'.t

In additionY to the side flanges 8, the front panel 6' is also providedwith an end flange lll-at its top whiich is bent around and engaged overtheV upper marginal edge portion of the rear panel 7 to deilne theassembled' positions of the panels. The end llange 10 thuscooperates,with the side flanges 8 to constrain the rear panelito endwisedetachment and/or assembly from one end- Vof theA front panel, namelythat end thereof which is; remote from the end flange 10. Y

The front panel is provided with ak number ofl spaced horizontal rows ofholes 11 therein with the holes Vofl the rows arranged in equi-spacedpairs of holes wlichare spaced a uniform distance fromjeaci'r other.V Asshown, therefore, each row consists ofJ four pairs of holes or a totalof eight holes, and all' oi the holes in, the,l various rows are of Vthesame size., Preferably/'the holes 11 inthe severall rows thereof arealso arrangedv invertical rows,l as seen best in Figurev l of thedrawing.

An elongated substantially straight keyl supporting prong 12 projectsforwardly through each ofthe holes 11' and each of the prongs may haveits outer end` portion turned' up, as indicated at 13a The prongs. 12which project through each pair of adjacent holes il' are formed as anintegrall part of a key` holding member, generally designated I4, formedof substantially stiff wire of a diameter to lit the holes 1l. Each ofthel key holding members. has aA bridge piece 15 which occupies a planesubstan-n tiaIly normal to the prongs thereof and is elampinglyIconfined between the front and' rear panels 6 and' 7' to serve as ananchor by which the prongs'of the'member are heldV against all motionrelative to the base.

Each of the key holding members llfi shown in Figure 1 has a bridgepiece 15 which is of inverted U-shaped configuration to provide a bightportion 16: substantially parallel to a line joining the proximal endsof the prongs 12, and to provide opposite legs 17- which projectdownwardly from the ends of the bight portion, lgand have their outerends integrally joined to the inner ends of the prongs 12.

The described manner of mounting the key holding7 members on the baseprovides for exceptional stability of the prongs 12 primarily because ofthe fact that pairs of adjacent prongs are joined by bridge pieces 15which have major portions thereof otset a substantial distance from aplane containing the prongs. Also, it will be seen that because each ofthe prongs 12 is connected to an adjacent prong, the prongs themselvesprevent rotation thereof on their axes; while the more or less atwiseconfine ment of the bridge pieces 15 against the rear of the front panelprevents all other motion of the prongs with respect to the panels.

While the body portion of the rear panel 7 may be substantially at, itis preferably formed with a series of forwardly displaced verticalcorrugations 19, alternate ones of which cross over and bear upon thebight portions 16 of the bridge pieces of all the key holding members tothus assure that the bridge pieces will be securely clamped against therear face of the front panel 6. The corrugations, of course, also serveto stiften the base 5.

It should be noted that the opposite legs 17 of all of the bridge pieces15 extend from the inner ends of the prongs 12 toward the ange 10 at theupper end of the base. This feature is highly important since itfacilitates securement of all of the key holding members 14 to the baseupon assembly of the rear panel 7 to the back of the front panel 6. Suchassembly is preferably accomplished with the rack in an invertedposition and held with the U-shaped bridge pieces 1S all hangingdownwardly along the rear of the front panel, toward the flange 10. Withthe parts held in this manner, the rear panel 7 may be inserted into thechannel-like guides on the opposite sides of the front panel and slidendwise downwardly into place on the rear panel until it abuts the endtlange 10. As it is thus slid into place, the rear panel rides over eachsuccessive row of bridge pieces 15, which in their depending positions,offer no obstacle to such assembly of the rear panel.

After the two panels have been brought into flatwise juxtaposition, therear panel is held against endwise detaching motion by sheet metalscrews 21 engaged in suitable aligning holes in the panels. Two suchsheet metal screws 21 located on the vertical centerline of the base,one near the top and one near the bottom thereof, are suicient toprevent displacement of the rear panel from its operative position seenin Figure 1. The disposition of the screws 21 also assures that themedial portion of the retaining panel 7 will not bow rearwardly out ofclamping engagement with respect to the bridge pieces of the key holdingmembers.

The base is also provided with a series of four holes 24, one in eachcorner area of the base. These holes extend through both the front andrear panels and provide for mounting the rack on an upright supportingsurface as by means of screws (not shown).

1f desired, the key holding members may be provided with bridge pieces25 which are bent to substantially serpentine shape, as shown in Figure3. In the construction therein illustrated the key holding members arelikewise made of a single length of relatively sti wire having spacedsubstantially parallel opposite prongs 12 joined at their proximal endsto the lower ends of the vertical legs 26 on the bridge pieces 25. Thelegs 26, of course, correspond to the legs 17 of the inverted U- shapedbridge pieces described previously, but in this case the bight portionof the bridge piece is substantially V- shaped and the extremities ofits diverging branches 27 are joined to the upper ends of the legs 26.The apex portion 28 of the V-shaped bight, however, is disposed beneaththe line which joins the inner ends of the prongs 12 and is spaced adistance therefrom substantially equal to the height of the legs 26, sothat both branches 27 of the bight cross said line.

The bridge piece 25, of course, occupies a plane which is substantiallynormal to the plane containing the prongs 12, and it provides thedesired degree of stability for the prongs when conned between the frontand rear panels by reason of the fact that its major portion recedesfrom a plane containing the prongs. The key holding member of Figure 3,in fact, has portions disposed substantially equal distances to oppositesides of the plane containing the prongs 12 so as to assure against allmotion of the prongs with respect to the panels between which the bridgepiece may be clamped.

The key holding member seen in Figure 4 has a bridge piece 30 integrallyjoining the inner ends of the prongs 12 but so shaped that its legs 31extend equal distances in opposite directions from the plane of theprongs. In other words, one of the legs extends upwardly and the otherdownwardly, and their outer ends are joined by a diagonal bight portion32. The bridge piece 30 is thus also of serpentine shape having majorportions thereof which recede from the plane of the prongs 12 and having a single portion 32 crossing the plane of the prongs.

From the foregoing description taken with the accompanying drawings, itwill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this inventionprovides an im proved key rack which features unusual stability for thekey supporting prongs along with ease of manufacture and assembly of thecomponents of the rack.

What is claimed as my invention is:

l. A key rack of the character described comprising: front and rearpanels; means connecting said panels and holding them in atwisejuxtaposition; the front panel having a number of spaced apart parallelrows of holes therein with the holes of said rows arranged in equispacedpairs of holes which are spaced a uniform distance from one another, theholes of said parallel rows thereof also lying in straight rows whichare normal to said parallel rows; and key holding members, each having apair of key supporting prongs which project forwardly through the holesof each said pair thereof, and a bridge piece confined between saidpanels, said bridge piece having legs joined at one end to the innerends of the prongs of said member and extending therefrom substantiallylengthwise of said straight rows, and a part extending between andjoining the opposite ends of said legs; and reinforcing corrugations insaid rear panel indented forwardly therefrom toward the front panel andarranged in rows parallel to said straight rows of holes butintermediate said pairs of holes in the parallel rows, the corrugationsengaging said parts of the bridge pieces of all of the key holdingmembers and holding said bridge pieces clamped against the back of thefront panel to thereby anchor the prongs of the members against allmotion with respect to the panels.

2. The key rack of claim 1 further characterized by the fact that: eachof said bridge pieces is substantially U-shaped and has its legsextending in the same direction from the prongs to which they arejoined, substantially parallel to said straight rows of holes, and thebights of the U-shaped bridge pieces being disposed substantially normalto said straight rows of holes and constituting said parts which areclampingly engaged by the corrugations in the rear panel.

3. In a key rack of the character described: a substantially atrectangular base comprised of iiatwise juxtaposed front and rear panelshaving opposite substan tially coincident vertically extending sidemargins and opposite substantially coincident horizontally extending endmargins; the front panel having a number of spaced horizontal rows ofholes therein with the holes in each row arranged in pairs, the holes ofsaid horizontal rows also lying in vertical rows; key holding memberseach comprised of a pair of key supporting prongs which pro jectforwardly through the holes of each said pair thereof and which aresubstantially perpendicularly joined to the outer ends of the oppositelegs of a U-shaped bridge piece closely confined between the panels toserve as an anchor by which the prongs are held against all motionrelative to the base, the bight portion of said U- shaped bridge pieceextending transversely between and joining the inner ends of said legs,remote from the prongs of the member, and the legs of all of the keyholding members extending in the same direction toward one of saidhorizontal end margins of the base; means on the base constraining therear panel to endwise vertical detaching motion in the oppositedirection; and means on the base releasably holding the rear panelagainst such endwise detaching motion.

4. The key rack of claim 3 further characterized by: the fact that saidconstraining means comprises anges on the opposite sides of the frontpanel extending around the adjacent marginal side edge portions of therear panel, and a similar flange on the end of the front panel towardwhich the legs of the bridge pieces extend and defining the assembledposition of the rear panel, said flanges cooperating with saidreleasable means to hold the panels in flatwise juxtaposition with theU-shaped bridge pieces snugly coniined therebetween.

5. A key rack of the character described comprising: front and rearpanels; means connecting said panels and hold-ing them in atwisejurtaposition; the front panel having a number of spaced apart parallelrows of holes therein with the holes of said rows arranged in pairs, theholes of said parallel rows thereof also lying in straight rows whichare normal to said parallel rows; and key holding members, each having apair of key supporting prongs which project forwardly through the holesof each said pair thereof, and a bridge piece conned between saidpanels, said bridge piece having legs joined at one end to the innerends of the prongs of said member and extending therefrom substantiallylengthwise of said straight rows, and a part extending between andjoining the opposite ends of said legs; and reinforcing corrugations inone of said panels indented toward the other of said panels and arrangedin spaced substantially parallel rows, said corrugations being spacedfrom each said hole and engaging the bridge pieces of all of the keyholding members and holding the same clamped against the other of saidpanels 4to thereby anchor the prongs of the members against all motionwith respect to the panels.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,188,227 Woods et al. June 20, 1916 1,201,700 Cohen Oct. 17, 19161,223,998 Maynard Apr. 24, 1917 2,130,197 Schick Sept. 13, 19382,277,791 Small Mar. 31, 1942 2,527,713 Dunn Oct. 30, 1950 2,577,988Wirth Dec. 11, 1951 2,769,553 Horton Nov. 6, 1956

